


Back to the Future

by RiseoftheBlossom



Series: Dying Embers [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-07
Updated: 2019-08-07
Packaged: 2020-08-11 16:23:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20156530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RiseoftheBlossom/pseuds/RiseoftheBlossom
Summary: So this was it. This was where it all ended for him. Breathing out a sigh, Shisui shut his eyes. He accepted it. He accepted what had to happen, despite how unfortunate and unfair it all was. The only thing he would change, if it was even possible at this point, was the fate of his clan.





	Back to the Future

**Author's Note:**

> This is part one of the prequel to Dying Embers. It started as a prompt, but quickly escalated to a second one-shot and a multi-chapter story.

So this was it.

This was where it all ended for him.

Breathing out a sigh, Shisui shut his eyes.

He accepted it. He accepted what had to happen, despite how unfortunate and unfair it all was. The only thing he would change, if it was even possible at this point, was the fate of his clan.

A sharp, searing pain flooded his head – no, his eyes and instinctively, they snapped open as Shisui tried to detect where the pain was coming from, but it was impossible. There was nothing. He couldn't see anything other than a harsh, brilliant white light that seemed to be all around him, no matter where he looked (or tried to look).

"_You truly are a selfless man."_

Who said that? His eyebrows mashed together as Shisui once more tried to look around, squinting. It wasn't Danzo's voice, or his ROOT operatives'.

"_I will alter your course because of this,"_ came that same voice and he whirled around, sensing it coming from behind him. There was no one there. "_You will not die today, Uchiha Shisui."_

What?

What was-

Suddenly, he was falling.

The harsh white light vanished, replaced with a stunning blue sky and a glaring sun, but none of that mattered in that moment because he was falling and there was no way to stop his descent. There was nothing to grab onto, nothing to use!

A woman screamed.

He recognised the Hokage monument.

And then pain exploded from all over his body as everything faded to black.

* * *

"_Itachi, please calm down-"_

"_Please do not get in my way. You are the last person I want to hurt."_

Itachi?

Who was he arguing with? A woman, obviously, but why? The last Shisui had heard, Itachi had been on a mission. Why was he back in the village and why was he arguing with a woman? One he obviously knew and cared for, since he didn't want to cause her any harm.

They were outside of wherever he was, their voices muted slightly due to the wall separating them. Shisui attempted to open his eyes and look, but found himself unable to. It was a horrifying realisation, one that rooted him in his spot with paralysing fear. Why couldn't he see anything? What was happening?

"_He needs to rest-"_

"_He has been missing for over eight years. Do not stop me."_

What?

_What?_

Shisui willed himself to calm down, though was powerless to control his own breathing as he began hyperventilating. It was at that moment that he breathed in the scent of the hospital, of blood and death and bleach and medicines. It was then that he heard the beeping of a heart monitor, which was steadily picking up its pace as his heart began to race.

Still, he could not see.

The door slid open fast and he flinched as it slammed open.

"Shisui-san," spoke a woman and he heard her footsteps rapidly approaching until her hands fell to his arms, trying to calm him. "Please, don't try to move."

Move? He couldn't! It felt like every single bone in his body had been broken twice. Just the thought of moving was enough to make him feel nauseous.

A hand left one of his arms a second before he felt a single finger pressing to his chest, keeping him pinned to the bed, panicking him further. What the hell kind of monstrous strength did this woman possess? It was terrifying!

"Sakura, allow me."

Itachi.

"Itachi?" Shisui wasn't surprised by how raspy his own voice sounded.

There was a sigh and he could sense the reluctance as the woman named Sakura released him, stepping away. Itachi took her place – he could sense him standing over the bed. That kid had always had a powerful, unignorable presence, after all.

"Where have you been, Shisui?" Itachi asked quietly. He didn't fail to notice that his tone and emotions were guarded. "It has been eight years."

Impossible! It felt like it had only been five minutes since he was fighting with Danzo. Now everything felt so disorientating and confusing and he didn't like it one bit. Shisui was someone who needed stability, or as much stability as one could have with being a shinobi. Without it, there was nothing to hold a person up.

"What happened?" he asked.

Another sigh. More than anything, Shisui wished he could open his eyes and see the world around him. Had it truly been eight years?

"You fell," Itachi replied simply. It made his previous words more real, as his voice was a hell of a lot deeper than when they last spoke. "You disappeared eight years ago and yesterday, all of a sudden, you fell from the sky and landed on top of the Hokage Tower."

Wow, that must have been a dramatic sight to see. "My sight…"

It was the woman – Sakura – who spoke this time, her voice apologetic and soft. "I'm sorry, Shisui-san, but your eyes were burned horrifically. Tsunade-shishou attempted to repair the damage, however…" He heard a shift of fabric and imagined she was running a hand through her hair, or doing something else that showed her agitation. "Itachi has been helping us, giving us as much information about the Mangekyō Sharingan as possible…"

Itachi carried on where she left trailed off. "They were unable to save your Sharingan, Shisui. At best, they were able to save your eyes and soon enough, you will be able to see again."

His Sharingan…

Why? Why was this happening? Why was he eight years into the future, banged up and laying in a hospital bed, without his most powerful weapon? What was the point in any of it? It would have been better if he was defeated in battle by Danzo.

"We're not sure what happened to them," Sakura tried to explain. "It's like a massive surge of chakra was forced through the chakra pathways and it's completely destroyed them. It's too soon to say that you'll never be able to send chakra to your eyes, but it's also highly unlikely that you'll be able to." It stunned him when the side of his hospital bed dipped and suddenly, her voice was closer. "To put it in simpler terms: it's like there was a blockage and you attempted to force the chakra through it, but with nowhere to go, the chakra grew and grew before forcibly finding an exit."

So basically, he had more or less made the chakra pathways in his eyes explode. How, though? That was what he couldn't understand. Shisui was not one to be arrogant, but his control on chakra had always been superb, so he'd always been extremely proud of himself for that. It was rare for him to lose that control, especially when it concerned his eyes. His Sharingan was precious to him. It made him who he was.

"Danzo…"

He could sense their pause in reply, could sense their hesitancy and confusion.

"What about Danzo-sama?"

Disappointment welled within him. It seemed nothing had changed there, then. "Is he…?"

"Alive and well." He could almost hear Sakura's frown. "In fact, he's in a meeting right now with Tsunade-shishou."

So he was still on the council, too. "I see."

Oh, the irony of those two simple words.

Another pause. Then, she told him, "Tsunade-shishou will be here afterwards to examine you and make sure you're healing properly. She'll also be able to give you a rundown of what to expect and how your treatment will go. She's far more skilled than I am-"

"Stop putting yourself down, Sakura," Itachi chided. "You are just as skilled as Hokage-sama. All you need is the experience."

Wait, what? Hokage? What the hell had happened in the past eight years? Were they talking about Tsunade as in Senju Tsunade, one of the Legendary Sannin? Why was she Hokage? Last Shisui had heard: she left the village not long after her lover's death, which left her traumatised and unable to continue being a medic-nin. What happened to the Sandaime?

"There is a lot you have missed, Shisui," Itachi murmured, his voice losing its guarded edge and Shisui could hear the regret and sadness. "But it is good to have you home, finally."

Poor kid. He would have had to deal with the trouble and the hatred between their clan and the village-

Shit!

"What about the clan?" he asked, heart in his throat. Oh, Gods… What if it was because of the clan that there was another Hokage? Had they done something to the Sandaime? "What happened to Sandaime-sama?"

Not for the first time, there was a pause, one that dragged out for far too long and it left him feeling numb on the inside, realisation dawning on him.

"Sandaime-sama… died around three years ago, now." They hadn't acted as quickly as he had thought they would, then. Shisui sighed and his head fell back against the too soft pillow. "He was defeated in battle by Orochimaru."

It was as he expected-

Wait, what?

Sensing his confusion, Itachi continued. "Your sudden disappearance managed to stall the clan long enough for me to dissuade them from their plans. Around five years later, during the chunin exams, Orochimaru infiltrated the village…"

He listened intently, soaking in all the information he had somehow missed in the past eight years. During the history lesson, Shisui felt a magnitude of sorrow and anger as he heard all about the horrors that had happened. From infiltrations and destructions of their village, to deaths and betrayal and heartbreak.

"Sasuke left the village, huh?"

A powerful aura of despair and vulnerability came from the two in his hospital room. From Itachi, it didn't surprise him in the least, because Sasuke was his baby brother, the boy he'd always promised to protect and care for, to always look out for. It had to be agonising! From Sakura, however, it surprised him. From the way they were speaking with one another both outside and inside the room, Shisui had assumed that something was going on between her and Itachi, but that no longer seemed to be true. Her heartbreak was too real, too apparent, to be from mere friendship. Had she possibly loved Sasuke?

"Yes," Itachi murmured quietly.

Masking his disappointment was difficult – no, it was downright impossible. He had watched that kid grow up!

He had missed so much and for that, Shisui felt angry with himself, leaving questions such as what if to swirl around in his head. What if he hadn't disappeared for eight years? Would Sarutobi Hiruzen still be alive? Would Sasuke be home, where he belonged? Would Itachi have gone through so much struggle and pain? Would he be so weary?

That wasn't even the worst part.

The worst part was the more recent developments.

Konoha had been utterly destroyed by just one man, by someone who had insane abilities. With just one blast of chakra, the whole of Konoha was annihilated. Many had died in his search for the Kyuubi, including many of their clansmen who were tied to the Kyuubi, who had absolutely refused to give in, who had absolutely refused to betray their comrade.

It was that very same boy, the vessel for the Kyuubi, who managed to bring them all back to life by defeating the attacker – Pein or Nagato, it was hard keeping up with the names when so much information was being shared.

"We should let you rest," Sakura stated an hour later. Her voice was low and rough, like she was fiercely holding back huge emotions that were threatening to take over. "Tsunade-shishou will be here soon and she'll kick our asses if you're worn out because of us."

Shishou, huh? So if he was remembering correctly, then there was a new generation of the Sannin. Tsunade's disciple being Sakura, Orochimaru's being Sasuke and Jiraiya's being Naruto. It certainly explained the strength Sakura had shared earlier when she pinned him with a single finger.

"Come on, Itachi," she murmured and stood from her place on the edge of his hospital bed.

There was a pause and a shift of fabric, like she was tugging on his shirt, or something of the sort. How close were they? What was their relationship? The last thing Shisui remembered in regards to Itachi's personal relationships, was that an Uchiha was in love with him. Izumi, if he wasn't mistaken. Had something happened to her? Did Itachi not return her feelings, despite being fond of her?

"I will be back later, Shisui," Itachi promised.

"Yeah," he replied quietly. There was still so much he needed to find out. "See you."

* * *

A more technical explanation, huh?

"Simply put: you've fried your chakra pathways beyond repair and at the moment, I don't have time to go head-to-head with Fugaku to try and find more out about the Mangekyō because in a few days' time, I will be going to a Kage Summit. It will determine whether or not there will be another Great Shinobi War."

The woman really was as blunt and as careless as her reputation said her to be.

"I will assign Sakura as your personal medic, as she is my student and I can trust that she will do her utmost to aid in your recovery." A pause. The sound of paper being shuffled around. Perhaps a clipboard? "Expect the elders of both the village and your clan to be on your back about your disappearance. Danzo was especially interested when he heard of your return – the old bastard hasn't plagued my office with his presence in years."

Oh?

Before he could ask any questions, Tsunade made a sound of annoyance and slammed the clipboard onto the table beside his bed, startling him.

"Goddamn amateurs! Who the hell writes notes like this? It's a joke!" She was yelling, her voice booming and echoing around the room. Shisui was certain he could hear medics scurrying away, doing their best to avoid her wrath and he couldn't blame them. "I will be back shortly. I'd say don't go anywhere, but you won't be moving for a while."

The door slammed shut without warning.

Shisui could only lay there in stunned silence, slowly breathing out a sigh as the dominating and loud presence left him alone.

* * *

She didn't return and he brushed it off as her being swept off her feet with Hokage duties, not to mention the fact that there was a summit soon. The situation had to be bad if the Kage had agreed to a meeting and he understood completely that she was too busy to fill him in on the situation with his eyes.

It didn't mean he wasn't annoyed by it, because it was frustrating knowing that he would never be able to use his Sharingan again, or that he would be lucky enough to be able to _see_ ever again. However, he understood that some things just couldn't be helped. It was ridiculous to expect the Hokage, of all people, to drop everything to be by his side. There could be a war, for goodness sake.

There was no telling how long he was alone for before the door to his room slid open. For a few moments, there was silence and Shisui did his best to try and figure out who it was. When he heard the sound of the clipboard beside him being lifted, he passed it off as it being one of the medics.

Then the side of his bed dipped as it had hours earlier.

"Sakura-san?"

He could hear the smile in her voice, no matter how tired she sounded. "It's me. Sorry to surprise you, Shisui-san."

"Do you make it a habit to sit on your patient's bed?" he teased quietly, voice rough. "Or am I lucky?"

Laughter. It was a melodic sound that took years away from her, making her sound carefree and happy, nothing like the woman from a few hours ago, who had been sad and in pain.

"Sorry," she apologised and there was a hint of embarrassment to her tone. "I feel like I know you somewhat."

"Oh?"

"Itachi is always talking about you," Sakura informed him, her voice happy and wistful. "So I feel like I know you, in a way." A pause and the smile in her voice returned. "I can't imagine how happy he is to have you back."

Faintly, his heart warmed. So Itachi hadn't been alone, then. There had been someone to look out for him emotionally. "Thank you for taking care of him."

Another pause.

It was aggravating that he couldn't read her expression to understand what kind of pause it was. Was it surprise? Happiness? Sadness?

Then, she told him softly, "It's not like that." Surprise must have been obvious on him, because Sakura continued, saying, "Sasuke-kun leaving… It brought us together, I'll admit, but not in that way. You see, Sasuke-kun had left and Naruto left to train with Jiraiya-sama and…" He was guessing the minute shake of the bed was her shrugging. "We just… came together."

Ah, so it was complicated. "Then what about Izumi-san?"

"Izumi-san?" She then hummed thoughtfully and he could hear her tapping what was more than likely a finger to her chin. "I see her around sometimes, but Itachi doesn't really speak about her that much, if at all. He's a private person when it comes to his love life."

That Shisui could understand. It made him smile, also. Hopefully, Itachi had allowed Izumi into his heart, then. Despite what the kid thought-

It was strange to think Itachi was no longer a kid. Neither was Sasuke, which was even stranger.

"You were Sasuke's teammate?"

The lightness of the atmosphere instantly disappeared and part of Shisui regretted bringing Sasuke up. It was obvious his betrayal still hurt Sakura. At the same time, however, he needed to know more. What the hell was going through Sasuke's mind to abandon his family and friends? Couldn't he see how much they cared for him?

"I was." Sadness was obvious in her tone and he wondered what her expression would be like. Would she be smiling wistfully? Frowning? Close to tears? "And I was in love with him for pretty much all my life."

It made her strong connection with Itachi just that little bit clearer. They bonded through their grief and pain and love for that boy. "Was?"

A deep sigh and he felt her hand press down on the other side of his legs, pressing down into the thin mattress and making it clear that she was leaning on it. "I've come to realise that while I love him, I'm not _in_ love with him, if that makes any sense. I thought I loved him with all my heart and his leaving broke it into tiny pieces, but…" This time, he knew for a fact that she shrugged. "It hurts a little less every day."

"What about Itachi?" he asked quietly.

She laughed. "Nope, I'm not in love with him, either."

He breathed out a single chuckle. "No, I meant: how does Itachi feel? About Sasuke?"

The laughter died down and he could sense her embarrassment again. "Oh… Um… I think it stills hurts him a lot, you know? He was out of the village when Sasuke-kun left – I think Sasuke-kun actually waited for that moment to leave, because he knew Itachi would stop him."

Yes, Shisui was certain of that, too.

"That was how Itachi and I started talking," she informed him without being pushed. "As soon as he returned and found out that Sasuke-kun had left, he came straight to me, because I was the last one to see him." A tired sigh. "But I wasn't much help, just like I couldn't stop Sasuke-kun, either."

"Don't beat yourself up about it," Shisui murmured and he also sighed. "Sasuke showed a lot of potential the last time I saw him. I can only imagine how much he has improved."

It sounded like she was smiling again. "I broke down in front of Itachi – I think he thought that he'd broken me somehow, because for the longest time, he was frozen, like he didn't know what to do."

That made sense to him. Itachi… As intelligent as he was, he still struggled immensely with bonds and emotions. Everyone threw around the label 'genius' and yes, Itachi did fall under that category, but there was just as much that he didn't understand. Nobody was perfect, after all.

"He ended up staying with me for hours after that," Sakura continued softly, almost like she was lost in her thoughts. "After I calmed down, he apologised for coming on so strong and told me he was simply worried about Sasuke-kun and what he had gotten himself involved in." He wasn't the only one, Shisui added inwardly. "We talked for a while and tried to get our heads around the fact that Sasuke-kun had really left us – and willingly, too." Another sigh. "I think that's what hurt us the most, actually. The fact that nobody forced him to leave, or kidnapped him or anything of the sort. Sasuke-kun walked out of those gates by himself and beat our other teammate, Naruto, to within an inch of his life when he tried to stop him."

Naruto was the Kyuubi vessel, he reminded himself. It was a shame, really. They could have achieved so much together as a team, especially since they were taught by Hatake Kakashi, if his memory was not mistaken. It was sad that Sasuke felt as though he needed to go to someone like Orochimaru to gain more power, when really, all he had needed to do was speak to his older brother. Shisui honestly couldn't think of a better teacher for Sasuke than Itachi, the brother he adored and practically worshipped. Then again, that was probably what had pushed him into leaving and wanting more power. Feeling inferior to his older brother.

Shisui sighed and attempted to stretch his muscles, but was annoyed to find that his body still wasn't responding to his movements.

"Sakura-san?"

"Yes?"

"Please be honest with me." At her hum of agreement, he then asked, "Am I paralysed?"

The smile in her voice returned. "No. It's just a sedative one of the medics gave to you. You fell from an impressive height, Shisui-san. You're lucky that the ANBU guarding Tsunade-shishou softened your crash landing somewhat. Had they have left you, you'd be dead right now."

At his responding silence, he felt her reach out and grasp his calf, giving a gentle squeeze. "See? You can feel that, can't you?" Yes, he could, Shisui realised with a deep sigh of relief. "And as soon as you're up and running and your eyes are healed, I'm going to work as hard as I can to try and bring back your Sharingan, too."

Even though it seemed like a long shot, her promise was spoken so fiercely that it was hard _not_ to believe in her.

* * *

Five days later and he was leaving the hospital. No, he was walking out of the hospital.

By his side, with her arm linked through his so that she could guide him, was Sakura. Shisui could understand why Itachi had taken a liking to her, too. Something about disappointing her struck you hard, making you want to try even harder to keep that from happening. At the same time, while doing that, it kept you strong. It made you able to keep promises, because she gave you her own strength to hold you up. Having her around was a major motivation.

She worked with him tirelessly to restore all the movement within his body, constantly healing him of all pains no matter how small and unimportant they seemed.

Itachi would have been with them, but he had been asked to accompany Tsunade to the Kage Summit – something that didn't surprise Shisui in the least. That kid was powerful and he was almost desperately waiting for his sight to return so he could see for himself how much stronger Itachi had become. It would be insane, no doubt about that. He'd always been a fast learner and Shisui was eager to see what he was like now.

Not only that, but he was also eager to see the woman who was practically glued to his hip lately. Her voice was soft and slightly childish. Since it was rude to ask a woman her age, Shisui was guessing that she was the same age as Sasuke – sixteen. The way she spoke made Sakura sound so much older, though. She was definitely mature for her age.

He wondered how pretty she was. Would she look like her namesake? It seemed quite a silly thought. Nobody's hair was naturally pink, after all. And what about her eyes? Shisui would be lying if he said he wasn't a sucker for pretty eyes.

"Sakura!"

They came to a standstill as somebody approached them, pausing only a few feet away from them. It was crazy how much his other senses had sharpened now that he couldn't see.

"Where've you been?" There was a pause and he guessed that Sakura must have gestured to him, or made an expression that stated how stupid the other woman had to be. "Oh…" Then, she perked up, asking with a voice trembling with excitement, "Have you heard the news?"

"What news?" Sakura asked and he could hear the frown in her voice. "Has Tsunade-sama returned?"

It was obvious the other girl was grinning now. "Yeah and guess who she found on her way home?" Even Shisui found himself anxiously awaiting the answer to the question. "Sasuke-kun!"

Beside him, he felt her grow weak at the knees, so held onto the arm looped through his own tighter, allowing Sakura to lean on him as she digested the news. "He's… home?"

"Yeah." The other girl was giddy now, voice trembling again. "Tsunade-sama probably dragged him home by the collar of his shirt, too."

From that brief meeting he'd had with her, it truly wouldn't have surprised Shisui in the least if that had happened. However, he had a sneaking suspicion that it was Itachi who did the dragging, right after he put his childish brother back into his place.

"Are you coming?" she asked.

He felt her shake her head, her hair brushing against his arm. So Sakura had long hair, he noted.

"It would be best to give Sasuke-kun some space, Ino," came her quiet reply. Had the news upset her? Why didn't Sakura sound happy? "Besides, you know his dad is going to kick his ass as soon as Tsunade-shishou is done with him."

Oh, damn. Shisui hadn't even considered Fugaku and Mikoto's reaction to their son's betrayal to Konoha. How had they handled it? Was even more pressure mounted onto Itachi to make up for the disappointment? It was literally only the other day to him, no matter what others said about his eight years of disappearance, so he could remember how Itachi was treated and how much he had to deal with.

"Whatever." Oh, was there an eye-roll to go with that flippant reply? "_I'm_ going to see him."

Sakura snorted at that. "Good luck with that."

There was an angered growl until Shisui felt something whip lightly across his face, taking him by total surprise. It felt like… hair? Either that Ino girl was way closer than he'd realised, or her hair was crazy long. Hopefully, it was the latter. It would be pitiful if he lost his skills as well as his Sharingan – like starting right from the very beginning all over again and that was something he definitely didn't have the patience for, not after everything he'd done and been through to get to where he was.

Tugging on his arm captured his attention and Shisui began walking once more at Sakura's insistence. Before Ino's interruption, she had been quiet but cheerful at the same time. It had been a comfortable silence. Now, however, it felt like the complete opposite. Sasuke's return was affecting her somehow and it seemed to be negatively.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked.

She sighed like the weight of the world was on her shoulders and it made him frown inwardly. "I just can't believe he's really home this time."

Ah, the fights they'd had trying to bring him home, Shisui realised. Apparently Sakura was recalling them and he took a guess that she was wondering how badly injured he would be. "I'm sure it won't be too bad," he murmured in response. "Itachi would never cause more pain than necessary."

There was a hum of agreement, but Sakura still didn't sound too convinced. More than likely, there would be nothing that he could say to make her feel better.

He had to try.

"We can always stop off on the way-"

"I'm sorry, Shisui-san, but I really don't want to see Sasuke-kun right now," she told him quietly, her voice a near whisper. "I need time to think about it."

"I understand."

It had to be difficult, he supposed. To have a friend – no, to have someone you loved betray you and your village in such a way had to be agonising. On some level, Shisui understood, because he'd watched that kid growing up and he cared for him, too, but he knew that it was a totally different feeling to what Sakura was experiencing. She had told him that for pretty much her entire life, she'd been in love with him, or had at least believed that she was in love with him.

What would Sasuke's return do to her? Would it bring back old feelings? For some reason, the thought was unpleasant to him. He honestly believed that Sasuke, after all the pain he had put her through, didn't deserve somebody as kindhearted as Sakura.

"Itachi said your home is still yours," Sakura told him in a change of subject, trying to lighten the mood and tension. Had she always done that? "Though, obviously, there's not going to be any food there. Would you like to pick some takeout up on the way?"

She had already explained to him that she would be staying with him. Since he had only just left the hospital and it would be some time before he regained his sight, a carer would be needed to help him get used to life without sight, even if it wasn't permanent. How else would food be prepared? How else would he bathe or get dressed? It was a horrific thought, but how else would he go to the bathroom? Up until now, he was hooked onto a catheter. Oh, Gods, Shisui was dreading the moment he needed to go to the bathroom. Sure, he could always sit down, but it wasn't exactly comfortable. Then again, it was better than having her help him with aiming-

"Shisui-san?"

Right. He needed to reply. "Sounds good."

"You seem lost in your thoughts," she stated teasingly. "Anything good?"

Definitely not for her ears. "Not really."

Another smile entered her voice and it was like she was reading his mind, because she then said to him, "Try not to worry too much, Shisui-san. We'll have your sight back soon."

Oh, he hoped so.

* * *

Man…

After being cooped up in his hospital room for five days, he was wiped out by merely walking home.

Much to his gratefulness, somebody had cleaned out his home. Despite the fact that it felt like he'd only left it a few days ago, in actuality, it had been over eight years. When they arrived, all dust was wiped away and the windows were opened to allow fresh air throughout the home. It made breathing easy.

Shisui was able to feel many stares on him as Sakura guided him through the Uchiha district, more than what he was used to and it made him feel rather self-conscious. It didn't help that his Sharingan was gone, either. How long would it be before they heard the news? Did they already know? Did they know that he had gone from having the most dangerous Sharingan since Uchiha Madara, to nothing at all?

The woman leading him to his home was incredibly patient and understanding, but when it dawned on him that he was a failure, Shisui found that he wanted nothing more than to be left alone. He'd gone from being a genius, a prodigy, to absolutely nothing. He was worthless without his Sharingan. Pathetic. Pitiful.

"Okay, your bed is right here, just turn to the left." Sakura guided him backwards and then ordered, "Sit."

He had never felt more glad to be at home in his own bed. She even helped him beneath the covers and pulled them over him.

"I'll put the takeout away so you can have some later, okay?"

"Hn."

A pause. "Shisui-san?"

Another frown in her voice. He sighed tiredly. "Forgive me, Sakura-san. I…"

When he trailed off, she told him, "Don't worry about it. It's a lot to adjust to and take in, but don't you dare be getting too used to it, Uchiha Shisui. I told you we're getting your sight back, no matter how much sweat, blood and tears we have to put into it."

It was true that seeing was better than nothing at all, but part of him was aching over the loss of his Sharingan. Part of him agonised over the loss of his greatest weapon – it made him into who he was. How was he supposed to continue as a shinobi without it? It changed everything. Even… Even his feared body flicker technique. Without the Sharingan, it was too risky to use, as he wouldn't be able to see or predict the enemy's moves and could fall straight into a trap.

What use was he now?

His darkening mood must have been obvious to her, because Sakura suddenly sighed, though not with annoyance or pity. It was more like… she was frustrated, but not at him. It sounded like she was frustrated with herself.

"I promise I'll work hard, Shisui-san."

What was the point?

"So don't you dare give it anything less than your absolute best."

Shisui was grateful for the bandages wrapped around his head and shielding his eyes, especially when they began to sting with the tell-tale signs of tears.

He wasn't even half of the person he used to be.

Suddenly the space behind him on the bed dipped like Sakura had thrown herself onto it, vaguely startling him. That surprise only grew when she wrapped her arms around his waist, face pressing against his back.

"Don't let this change who you are," she all but begged. "You are still Uchiha Shisui."

Forget that! What was she doing in his bed with him?

"I don't know what happened to you, or why," Sakura continued, "but everything happens for a reason, right?"

Well, he supposed, but…

"Sakura-san… I don't think that it is appropriate for you to be in my bed."

A soft, tinkering laughter filled the air, the sound of it taking a small amount of weight away from his heart. "It took you out of your brooding thoughts, though, didn't it?"

Oh, she was mischievous, was she? "That attitude will get you into trouble one day," he warned. The hold around his waist tightened and he prayed to the Gods that she would stop. There was only so much a man could take! "I could be a pervert who could take advantage of you."

She was that close that he could _feel_ her smirk. "I'm perfectly capable of defending myself."

The memory of her pinning him with just one finger flashed to the front of his mind and Shisui gulped, nonchalantly shielding his manhood with his hands. He seriously pitied any guy who tried to force themselves on Sakura or came on too strong, as he could only imagine how painful it would be – and he had a very strong idea that they would never come back down.

But…

She was right.

With just one movement – which definitely wasn't simple – she had taken his mind away from the darker thoughts.

This woman truly was something else.

"Sakura-san…"

She hummed and it surprised him that she sounded so exhausted so suddenly. Had he really been taking up so much of her time? Or was it more of an emotional exhaustion?

"Thank you for all that you've done and are still doing."

Her face turned, cheek pressing to his back and Shisui found himself relaxing. How was it even possible to feel so at ease with someone you had only known for five days? It felt like something out of an old story.

"Don't mention it," she mumbled sleepily. "I'm using this as an excuse to catch up on my sleep."

He smirked. That wasn't true and they both knew it.

And now he found himself more eager than ever to see her face, because if she was beautiful, too, then she had the whole package and he wouldn't think twice about any of this.

Shisui had always been a sucker for pretty eyes, after all.


End file.
